About one in five people in Pendleton County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Pendleton County, 21.8% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pendleton County's score
In Pendleton County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 74.3. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 25.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 74.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pendleton County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Pendleton County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (5.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.3% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.4% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
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- 74.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.5% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people216.1 · 202578th percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.5% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 56.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability21.8% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,030 · 202446th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.2% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Pendleton County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Pendleton County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pendleton County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pendleton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pendleton County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pendleton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.2% in 2011 to 15.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Pendleton County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.4%, with its low point on the chart in 2014
Low on the chart: 13.1% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pendleton County, Kentucky.
How Pendleton County has changed
Pendleton County's population rose by about half to 14,844, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 13,243. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pendleton County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Pendleton County rose most sharply from its first year (2,140 in 1990) to 2,422 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Pendleton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 2,665 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pendleton County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,566 | 2024 $68,030 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pendleton County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 14,947. The 2020 Census counted 14,644, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1964
Licking River flood 1964 reached 47 feet. Wikipedia
1968
F4 tornado April 23, 1968 in Falmouth killed four people. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $25 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Licking River major flood March 2, 1997 reached 52 feet killed five residents. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in June 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in March 2012 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pendleton County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pendleton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pendleton County, in Kentucky and Ohio, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pendleton County ranks 4th of the seven; Bracken County is highest, at 33.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bracken County, KY | 81 | 13.8% | 33.4% |
| Pendleton County, KY | 72 | 13.7% | 27.8% |
| Harrison County, KY | 65 | 15.5% | 30.7% |
| Grant County, KY | 61 | 13.5% | 29.6% |
| Kenton County, KY | 40 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Campbell County, KY | 36 | 11.3% | 18.7% |
| Clermont County, OH | 33 | 8.6% | 20.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Pendleton County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Pendleton County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 97th highest of 120 in Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is McCreary County, at 36.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Pendleton County ranks 72nd of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pendleton County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Pendleton County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Pendleton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.